Pub. 15 2018 Issue 2

8 O V E R A C E N T U R Y : B U I L D I N G B E T T E R B A N K S - H E L P I N G N E W M E X I C O R E A L I Z E D R E A M S EXECUTIVE VICE PRESIDENT’S MESSAGE JOHN W. ANDERSON, EXECUTIVE VICE PRESIDENT New Mexico Bankers Association 107th Annual NMBA Convention The theme was “Around the World” with vendors representing various countries and offering attendees food from their countries. Attendees were asked to have their passports validated at the table of each country represented and to sample the food of that country. T he 107th Annual NMBA Convention was a huge success. A special thanks to all of those who attended the event which was held at Sandia Resort in Albuquerque. The event opened with a meet and greet cocktail party and vendor event. The theme was “Around the World” with vendors representing various countries and offering attendees food from their countries. Attendees were asked to have their passports validated at the table of each country represented and to sample the food of that country. At the end of the evening, all participating attendees were eligible for a grand prize. John Gulas, CEO and president of Los Alamos National Bank, was our grand prize winner. The special guest of the event was James Lewis, former New Mexico State Treasurer and current senior advisor for public safety to Albuquerque Mayor Tim Keller. James welcomed the attendees and discussed the importance of public service. The education session of the convention was also terrific. Wayne Abernathy, ABA Executive Vice President for the Office of Financial In - stitutions, Policy and Regulatory Affairs, had as his theme: Washington: Rediscovering the Importance of Banking. He noted that Congress and every federal financial agency, as well as the White House and the Treasury Department, are reviewing laws and regulations affecting banks and their customers. Rather than a case of “the pendulum swinging back the other way,” this is an opportunity to get the regulations right by asking what works in promoting economic growth. This is a process that has already begun, is picking up steam, and with the enactment of S. 2155 (the Economic Growth, Regulatory Relief and Consumer Protection Act), will likely persist for a number of years. He also discussed what the priorities for Congressional action will be in late 2018 and 2019. Tim Nitti, President and CEO of New Mexico Partnership, presented a new vision for mar- keting, New Mexico. He suggests focusing on messaging that effectively differentiates the state from competitors. He suggested that there is a belief that there are attributes of the state and local communities that are acting as barriers to attracting businesses. But when you ask busi- ness decision-makers outside of the state why they don’t come here, they often respond, “I don’t know much about New Mexico.” In other words, the lack of familiarity with, and knowledge of, the state remains one of the greatest challenges. Nitti provided a number of substantive sugges- tions on how best to attract new businesses. Matt Geisel, Secretary of the NM Economic Development Department, discussed ways to reward and stimulate job creation and invest- ment in the state. He reviewed a number of ways, including: cash reimbursement, cash re- fundable tax credit, tax abatement for cash, and conservation programs. We were overwhelmed by the number of programs available in the department’s “toolbox”.